Why can’t actresses be paid as much as actors, asks Shajiyem

Shajiyem, director of upcoming film Bad Girl starring Mumbai basedSherlyn Chopra, has been barraged with questions as to why he chose such an actress as Sherlyn for a Malayalam film.

Shajiyem expressed his surprise at the question, however. "Filmmakers are ready to shell out crores to bring in a particular actor on board. Why not spend the same for an actress?" he asks. The Malayalam industry is such that the remuneration of heroines has to be played down, he adds. The director's earlier film, Miss Lekha Tharoor Kanunnathu, starred Meera Jasmine in the lead role.